Jeanne Byerly Lechleiter, 92, passed away peacefully in the early morning of January 16, 2021 at Nazareth Home, where she had resided for the past 18 months.
Jeanne Claire Byerly was born on August 12, 1928 in Louisville, Kentucky to the late Clifford and Mary Alice (Gregg) Byerly. She was the first of their five daughters.
Jeanne grew up in Audubon Park, where she would live most of her life. She attended St. Agnes School and graduated from Our Mother of Sorrows School in 1942. She then graduated from Presentation Academy in 1946, after which she earned her undergraduate degree in home economics from Mount St. Joseph College in 1950.
On June 28, 1952, she married John Howard Lechleiter and spent the rest of her blessed life loving him and the beautiful family that they nurtured and grew together. Jeanne and John had nine children, all of whom attended St. Stephen Martyr School. Their five sons graduated from Saint Xavier High School, while their daughters graduated from Sacred Heart Academy. All nine of their children earned undergraduate or advanced degrees.
On November 13, 1995, her beloved husband of 43 years passed away unexpectedly. Always the eternal optimist, Jeanne marched onward in faith, continuing to devote her entire life to her family and those who needed her. She was the best mother, grandmother and great-grandmother we could ever imagine! “Mimi”, as she was affectionately called, made each of us feel so special and she touched our hearts so deeply.
Jeanne’s Catholic faith was her greatest love, and that devotion propelled her to touch thousands of people’s lives during her life through countless acts of kindness, grace and gratitude. Her indelible smile and beautiful eyes were her calling card, but her huge heart and humble way were her sustaining strength.
She was a prolific giver throughout her life. She was a volunteer at St. Stephen Martyr parish, her spiritual home, for over 60 years. She was a long-time member of the Queen’s Daughters and volunteered at The Clothes Closet until she was nearly 90. She also delivered food to the poor and elderly through Meals on Wheels for 40 years.
She was a woman of great humility and dignity. She saw only the good in everyone she met. As she would repeatedly remind us in our youth, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.”
Jeanne loved to make quilts! In her lifetime, she created the most beautiful quilts for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends in celebration of their birth and later when they married. In all, she presented her family and friends with 125 of these amazing works of love and art.
Always working to keep her large family together, Jeanne began writing a weekly letter to her extended family when her eldest son, John, began college in 1971. She wrote her last letter on August 25, 2020 to a distribution of 75 Lechleiter and Byerly families. It was a joy for so many when “Mimi’s Letter” would arrive in the mail!
She was the consummate hostess and loved family gatherings of any kind. In the mid-1970s, she began the annual “Byerly Family Christmas Party” at the family home that continues to this day. Typically, 80 to 100 family members and friends attended the party and everyone looked forward to her legendary lasagna, her own recipe that has been passed down throughout the family.
Besides quilting, Jeanne loved her Valley Drive home of 62 years, especially her cozy side porch. Many a Mimi Letter would open, “I am on the porch and loving it!” She loved her daily Maker’s Mark and ginger ale, poured promptly at 5:00! She treasured the many family reunion trips to Hilton Head Island, the first of which was celebrated in 1972. And she loved taking her grandchildren to Lakeside Swim Club, where she was a 45-year member. Jeanne also loved her St. Stephen Martyr community, her bedrock in life, and all the organizations at which she volunteered for so many years serving those in need.
In addition to her parents and her husband, Jeanne was predeceased by two of her sisters and their husbands, Peggy and Dr. Bill Gillespie and Joan and John Daunhauer, as well as her dear friend, George Gates.
She is survived by two of her sisters and their husbands, Dorothy and John Mullane and Nancy and Bill Hathaway.
Jeanne is also survived by her nine devoted and cherished children: sons John (Sarah), Paul (Maureen), Richard (Janice), Bruce (Annette) and Donald (Nanci); daughters Barbara McGrath (Doug), Nancy Meurer (Mike), Alice Sheehan (Dan) and Jeannie Donovan (Dr. Pat).
Her 27 grandchildren, each of whom grew to know and love her as much as she loved them, are: Dan (Allison) and Andrew (Rachel) Lechleiter and their sister, Elizabeth Kelly (Patrick); Carolyn Milheim (Dan) and Julie McGrath; Michael (Krissy), Meagan, Paula and Chris Lechleiter; Matt, John Howard (Julia), Claire and Andrew Lechleiter; Julie Nedeau (Tad), Sarah Cata (Michael) and Kate and Anna Lechleiter; Diane Harney (Chris) and Taylor (Priscilla) and Alex (Brooke) Lechleiter; Emily, Jeanne and Ellen Meurer; Claire and Caroline Sheehan; and Blair and Patrick Donovan. Jeanne is also survived by her 19 beautiful great-grandchildren. She also remembers her cousins, her many nieces and nephews and her dear friends, including Mary Rose Krebs, Geraldine Howell and Cece and Roy Burns.
The entire Lechleiter Family owes a great debt of gratitude to the wonderful staff of the Nazareth Home who cared for Jeanne with such compassion and worked so tirelessly to preserve her dignity and her grace. We would also like to thank Dr. Chris McClellan. May God bless all of you!
Her private funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 21, at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church, with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Those who would like to attend the funeral Mass remotely are welcome to do so via livestream at https://www.facebook.com/ssmlouisville/. A community Mass celebrating her blessed life will be held at a later date.
Remembrances of Jeanne may be found at the Highlands Funeral Home website, https://www.highlandsfuneralhome.com/. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the permanent endowment in her name at the Catholic Education Foundation of Louisville, 401 West Main Street, Suite 806, 40202, or at https://www.ceflou.org/.